Oct. 7, 2002 – St. Croix police are still calling the death of a man whose decomposed body was found in a car Saturday afternoon "suspicious." As of Monday morning, Territorial Police Chief Novelle Francis Jr. said the death of Noel Rivera had not been officially determined to be a homicide.
On Sunday, Gregory Bennerson, V.I. Police Department chief investigator, said officers were called at 11:30 a.m. Saturday after Rivera's body was found slumped between the driver's and rear seat of a Mitsubishi Mirage found parked in a bushy area in White Bay, Frederiksted — a stone's throw from the Walter I.M Hodge public housing community.
"The vehicle appeared to have been abandoned sometime Thursday, though the discovery of the body was only made on Saturday after area residents took a closer look at the vehicle," Bennerson said.
He declined to comment on published reports Sunday quoting witnesses as saying Rivera suffered gunshot wounds to the chest and arm. "The department does not want to release any information preliminarily as we are in the midst of a very tedious investigation," he said.
Bennerson said detectives were out Saturday and Sunday following various leads to "bring the case together." An autopsy scheduled for Monday or Tuesday should determine how and when Rivera died.
"We do make our standing request to the public for anyone with information to contact investigators at 778-2211 extension 4533 or 778-4950 or emergency 911," Bennerson said.
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